Tourist numbers from India are booming. But they're not here for a holiday

India has become Australia’s fastest growing tourist market with visitor numbers increasing by 53 per cent, driven by a surge in arrivals of those visiting family and friends.

India is now ranked seventh for incoming international visitors to Australia with 350,000 people compared to 15th place in 2006. It's forecast to be the fastest-growing source of international tourists over the next two years.

Featherdale Wildlife Park in western Sydney receives about 12,500 Indian visitors a year, including a significant number of students and tourists visiting friends and relatives.Credit:Steven Siewert

Spending by Indians tourists also rose by 68 per cent to $1.8 billion, according to Austrade’s latest international visitor survey.

Growth in tourism is led by education and holiday travel categories – except for India, where more than half of visitors to Australia in 2018–19 came to see friends and relatives, compared to 33 per cent a decade ago. Only 17 per cent listed holiday as the main purpose of their visit.

The release of new tourism figures comes as the federal government unveils a campaign today to attract more Indian tourists by capitalising on next year’s T20 World Cup.

Scenic World in the Blue Mountains attracts about 20,000 visitors from India a year.Credit:Scenic World

Federal Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham said the tourism promotion was aimed at boosting the number of Indian visitors to both the women’s and men’s cricket tournaments.

“Australia’s hosting of these two T20 World Cup tournaments has the potential to deliver huge benefits for our tourism industry and overall economy,” he said.

Senator Birmingham warned last month that a lack of direct flights between India and Australia threatens to impede growth in tourism.

Tourism Australia's new campaign to attract more Indian tourists by capitalising on next year's T20 cricket tournament.Credit:Tourism Australia

Another hurdle faced by Indian tourists is the visa process, which Khorshed Poacha, the director of Travel Maestro Inbound, said was time-consuming, onerous and "often the visa is initially refused without justification".

"Australia is not the first destination you opt for – usually they start off with Asia followed by Europe, USA and then Australia; hence they are very discerning travellers," she said.

With images of Cairns, the Flinders Ranges and Freycinet National Park, Senator Birmingham said the tourism campaign was designed to encourage Indian tourists to visit regional Australia.

Austrade’s data shows Indian tourists are the most likely to avoid regional Australia, spending 92 per cent of their nights in a capital city.

Visitors from China (91 per cent), Japan (80 per cent), Korea (85 per cent) and Singapore (87 per cent) also largely shunned regional and rural areas.

In contrast, European and North American tourists were more likely to venture away from Australia’s biggest cities.

Sydney tourist attractions such as BridgeClimb have benefitted from the boom in Indian tourists.Credit:BridgeClimb

Overall, Australia received 8.6 million international visitors, aged 15 years and over, in the 12 months to June 2019 - 3 per cent more than the previous year.

China continues to be the biggest source of international visitors with 1.32 million tourists followed by New Zealand (1.27 million), United States (764,000) and United Kingdom (674,000).

India is also NSW’s seventh largest source of international visitors, with 168,000 tourists in the year to June 2019. More than half of Indian visitors to NSW came from four states in India – Maharashtra (22 per cent), Karnataka (14 per cent), Delhi (12 per cent) and Tamil Nadu (8 per cent).

Sydney tourist attractions such as BridgeClimb have benefitted from the boom in Indian tourists.

A BridgeClimb spokeswoman said there had been a 95 per cent increase in Indian visitors since 2005, whileScenic World in the Blue Mountains attracts about 20,000 visitors from India a year, according to chief experience officer Amanda Byrne.

“Our Indian visitors often enjoy big group-sized family outings, as compared with other international visitors,” she said. “We’ve also identified that offering Indian style meal options is important as they have a strong preference for eating their style of foods.”

Featherdale Wildlife Park in western Sydney receives about 12,500 Indian visitors a year, including a significant number of students and tourists visiting friends and relatives.

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A Featherdale spokeswoman said Indian tourists wanted to tick off as many items as possible on their Sydney bucket list.

“From the Opera House and Darling Harbour, to getting close to Australian wildlife, they’re here to experience the unique attributes of Australia which is why Featherdale Wildlife Park is such a popular choice,” she said.

But Pawan Luthra, the chief executive of Indian Link Media Group, said younger Indian tourists also sought experiences such as visiting the Masterchef studios and iconic restaurants.

Mr Luthra said he did not believe violent attacks against Indians had deterred visitors: “Both NSW and Victoria have done well in promoting a safe Australia.”